It's Been A While
by Tattoos-Make-Me-Happy
Summary: Ashlee McCall makes a sudden return home one night. And she's not alone. Her 2 year old daughter Leah comes home with her. And to make matters even more complicated..she remembers Derek from close to 3 years ago. Derek definitely remembers her too. What happens when Derek has questions about why she left him those few years ago? Ones about Leah? Might become 2-3 chapters long. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**Little one shot i've had in my head for quite awhile. I'm not sure if i'll do a second chapter and maybe third but it definitely won't be a proper fic, just a little one shot. I hope you like it :) Everyone's werewolves like on the show, Ashlee is human. Read and review!**

 **Derek's p.o.v**

I rub a hand down my face as Scott continues to tell me why Allison isn't dangerous. Then something breaks through his weak justifications. A heartbeat. Erratic and oddly familiar.

"Who is that?" I ask Scott with narrowed eyes. The scent, that heartbeat..it's all familiar. And I can't say why. That makes me uncomfortabe. That makes me uneasy. I don't like feeling uneasy.

"Who's who?" Scott asks, confused.

"Someone's here" I say. As if on cue, the person starts banging on the door. Scott realises what I meant now, moving for the door, I slip into an attack stance, bracing myself for the door to be opened. Whoever's behind it, i've known them at one time or another. But I can't put my finger on it exactly. That makes me nervous. Scott looks in the peephole. A big grin comes to his face. Before I can ask for an explanation, he opens the door. He immediantly gets an armsful of whoever this girl is. I feel my heart skid to a screeching stop when I see her eyes. Those familiar vibrant violet orbs, the ones the drew me into her that night. Then everything else slides into place, it's like smashing glass with how fast and sudden the realisation hits me.

 _It was the laugh first. I looked up from my drink and in the laugh's direction. Then that wide smile matched with bright purple eyes. The girl thanks the bartender for her drink once she's done laughing at the joke he must have made. She catches me staring and gives me a shy smile. I return it with a small smile of my own. I look back down at my drink. I'm not even sure why i'm here. I've never been much of a drinker because werewolves can't get drunk. I just decided to come down here tonight to spend some time by myself I guess, I didn't want to be bothered so I brought a beer. I look up, becoming pleasantly suprised when the girl from before is now filling the empty side of the booth._

 _"Anyone sitting here?" she asks me._

 _"You are" I say. She chuckles._

 _"What's someone like you doing here alone?" she asks me._

 _"Needed to get away" I shrug. "What's someone like you doing here at all?" I ask. She gives me a questioning look. "You don't seem like the bar type"_

 _"I'm not, not really. I needed a drink, it's been a long day" she says._

 _"What's up?" I ask._

 _"Nothing of interest, family stuff, Daddy issues" she waves it off. I nod. She finishes her drink, looking a little uncomfortable that she revealed that. She chuckles awkwardly. "Sorry..I don't know why I told you that"_

 _"It's okay" I say. She looks up at me with a small smile. "You want another drink?" I ask her, seeing her's is empty and mine now is too._

 _"Yeah, i'd like that" she smiles._

 _"Can I at least get a name before I buy you a drink?" I ask the girl. She smiles a little more, showing white teeth and small dimples in her cheeks._

 _"It's Ashlee" she says, locking eyes with me. "And can I at least get a name before you buy me a drink?" she asks cheekily._

 _"It's Derek" I say with a soft smile, signalling to the bartender._

 _"Well Derek" she says, popping the top of her beer once the waitress has put it down. "Here's to a better night than today's been"_

 _"To a better night" I nod, the two of us clicking the neck of our beer bottles together._

And that heartbeat, the slightly erratic one that, now that I think about it, reminds me of Stiles in the sense that it's slightly out of place compared to everyone else's. That heartbeat, the one i'd fall asleep to right under my ear for 3 months. The heartbeat that filled the silence in my loft whenever she was over. Which, suprisingly, after that first night we spent together, ended up being every day for 3 months. And I loved that.

"I missed you" Scott says, pulling away from the girl i'd gotten so close to in those 3 months. She looks up and stops dead in her tracks when she sees me. "Ash, this is-"

"Derek" she finishes for him.

"Ashlee" I say. Scott looks between us, confused.

"Mommy?" my eyes widen at the tiny girl that walks out from behind Ash in a small fluffy purple onesie as she rubs her own tired eyes. Her tired _green_ eyes.

"There she is" Scott smiles, crotching down to swoop the young girl off her feet and hug her. "Hey Lee" Scott smiles at her.

"Is that.." I trail off, not bring able to make myself say that word.

"This is my daughter, Leah" Ash tells me. I nod, finding my breath caught in my throat. This girl, the one that was so important to me..she's a mother. And her daughter is as beautiful as she is. Bright green eyes, straight raven hair that reaches her shoulders. High cheek-bones and full lips. She's even got the same crooked jawline that Scott and Ash have. It's perfect. She's perfect. Why am I saying this? Why does my wolf feel protective over the young girl?

"How do you two know each other?" Scott asks, looking between us with narrowed eyes. I open my mouth to tell him something other than the truth but she beats me to it.

"Derek was a bartender in the club I used to go to a few years back" she says, the lie rolling off her tounge so easily that Scott doesn't even catch the jump in her heartbeat.

"You worked in a bar?" Scott asks, looking at me in suprise.

"Yeah" I go along with the lie, Scott nodding slowly.

"Scott, why don't you put Leah down, it's getting late" Ash says, dismissing the boy. She's right though, it is getting late.

"Wait-" I try. I want to know more about Leah, my wolf's intrigued, i'm genuinely curious too.

"Now" she cuts me off, looking at Scott. Scott looks between us before doing as he's asked. "I'll be in to tuck you in in a minute Lee" she says to her daughter as the two walk away. Leah frowns at me over Scott's shoulder, I can tell she doesn't want me to be alone with her mother as she doesn't even know me. So why my wolf is dying to get to know her, to protect and watch over her..I have no idea. I mean..it's not like Leah's mine, right? Then why is my wolf acting this way? Ash waits until Scott's gone from the room before turning to me.

..

 **Ashlee's p.o.v**

Derek and I stare at each other for a few long moments.

"You had a kid and you didn't tell me?" Derek asks me.

"She's 2. She wasn't in the picture until after we..stopped seeing each other" I say.

"I know that. But you didn't think to call or anything?"

"So you wanted me to call you to tell you I had a baby but you couldn't be bothered calling me?" I ask him with a scoff. "Is that right?"

"That's not what I meant" Derek sighs.

"Then what did you mean?" I ask him. I don't even give him the chance to answer. "I get it, you're suprised to see me again. Trust me, so am I. I didn't even know you knew my brother. It's a wolf thing, right?" I ask him. He nods. Yeah, I know all about the werewolf world thanks to Derek. I'm glad he was able to trust me enough to tell me about werewolves and his family. "But you don't have to act like you care just 'cause you and Scott know each other"

"It's not an act" he says. "And if I remember correctly, _you_ were the one who just up and walked away from me, not the other way around" he says, keeping his voice down.

"I had my reasons-"

"What reasons? There was _nothing_ wrong. We were fine, we were happy" he says.

"I don't have to explain myself" I say. "But that doesn't mean i'm not sorry for leaving because I am. I really am. I never wanted to hurt you. But it was easier this way, trust me, it was" I say.

"I don't believe that" Derek says. "And I don't think you do either"

"It doesn't matter. I said i'm sorry and I meant it. What's done is done" I say, turning away from him.

"Can you wait?"

"No. I have someone that needs me"

"Are you saying I didn't need you?" he asks, making me stop. I turn to look at him. "Is that what you think?"

"Well did you need me?" I ask.

"Yeah" he answers. "And you left me" I feel tears prick my eyes so I quickly turn away and go down to where Mom's setup a room for me and Leah. Derek doesn't follow me and i'm glad for that. I need some time to deal and figure all this out. I was never supposed to run into him again. I knew coming home ran that risk but I thought he might have moved on now..looks like he didn't.

..

 **Derek's p.o.v**

I can't sleep. I can't even think clearly. I run through the woods, trying to tire myself out so I can at least get a few hours sleep. My wolf is pacing. Stressing. And I have no idea why. I know it's about Ash and Leah though. It's all I can think about. They are all I can think about. And there's something Ash isn't telling me. I know her. And she's holding something back, not only from me but from everyone. And I want to know what. Is Ash raising Leah on her own? Is there another man in the picture? Who's Leah's Dad? Why did she run from me? Why hasn't she called me? Why haven't I called her? What the hell happened between us to make her think running away was easier than staying? Yes, the first night we spent together..it was supposed to be a one night thing. But then it wasn't, then I got to know her and she got to know me and it turned into something more. I wouldn't say we were a couple because that never came up but we didn't need to label it. We were each other's and that was enough. But when I came home and she was gone..it did hurt me.

 _I'm so sorry Derek_

 _It was never supposed to go like this_

 _I wish you luck, I really do_

 _-Ash_

 _xx_

Messy linked writing. That's what the small note inside the envelope left on my bed said. On _our_ bed said. Because really, she spent more time at my house than her own. And I didn't mind one bit. That was all she wrote. All her clothes she had kept at the house, anything she owned was gone. So was she. The only thing she did leave, along with the note, was a small wolf teddy. I won it at the bowling alley when we went on our first date..well, that was our only date. After _that_ night, once we knew it wasn't going to be just a one night thing, I took her out on a date. I wanted to show her i'm not the pig I was the night before. I don't 'love them and leave them'. In fact, we never slept together again during those 3 months. But we went on a date, it was out of both of our comfort zones but we did it to show we meant more to each other than a late night roll around in the sheets. After i'd won the wolf, I gave it to her like normal couple would I guess. She rolled her eyes and said it was stupid but still thanked me and kissed me, smiling widely with a light blush. But that's just how she is. She's snarky and quick-witted and I love those things about her. It's been close to 3 years and I still have feelings for her. And I think I care about what's going on with her 2 year old daughter as well. Wait..2 years old..we were together 3 years ago. Hold on..

..

 **Ashlee's p.o.v**

I groan and pull myself out of bed when there's knocking on the front door. I look at my clock, it's after midnight. I quickly make my way to the door as Leah's sleeping and I don't want to wake her. Scott's at his girlfriend's and Mom's at work, they both wanted to give me some space to settle Leah and I in as well. I grab the bat by the door and open it. I sigh and throw the bat to the ground when I see it's Derek.

"Scott's at Allison's, he's not here" I say.

"I'm not here for Scott" he says, walking in.

"Of course, just come in" I say sarcastically. I shut the door behind him.

"We need to talk. Sit down with me?" Derek asks. I cautiously sit down across from him at the table. I watch him closely, unsure of what he's going to do. "I want to talk about you. And about Leah"

"No, she's none of your business" I say, shaking my head.

"I don't think that's true" he says. "You know that's not true"

"What does that mean?" I ask, narrowing my eyes.

"You know _exactly_ what I mean" Derek says pointedly.

"You're insane" I say, realising what he's getting at. No, it's too late. Now's not the time.

"Am I?" he asks. "Because I know she didn't those green eyes from you and really, the timeline matches up to us-"

"She's not your's" I cut him off in a quiet whisper, scared i'll wake Leah.

"You know what I heard? Your heart skip over the word 'not'. You may be able to lie to Scott but you can't lie to me. And if that's my daughter in there, I deserve to know" Derek says, trying to keep himself calm.

"I don't care what you heard Derek. You haven't been around so it doesn't matter" I say, getting up. Derek shoots up, catching my arm.

"Wait. What does that mean? Does that mean she's mine?" he asks with wide eyes. My face falls, realising I let too much slip.

"Let me go" I say, feeling tears prick my eyes.

"Who's her father?" Derek asks, not letting me go.

"Derek. Stop, _please_ " I plead.

"Who's her Dad Ash?" he asks again. "Tell me who her Dad is"

"N-no, I can't" I say, getting nervous. He's caught me out. And there's no escape.

"Tell me the truth. Is Leah mine?" he asks outright. I sigh and rub my hand down my face.

"Okay..yes" I say, tears welling up in my eyes. Derek's eyes widen in shock even though he had his suspicions. "Leah's your's" I tell him. Derek's face twists with anger and hurt.

"How could you keep this from me?!" he yells angerily.

"Keep your voice down" I warn him in a hushed whisper, glancing nervously at the bedroom door. "You'll wake Leah"

"I wouldn't want to wake our daughter" he sneers. I feel my jaw twitch angerily. I shove the older male away from me. I've always had a temper..okay, _alot_ of temper.

"She may be biologically your's but she's been _your_ daughter. She's been _my_ daughter and that's how it's been for 2 years" I say possessively. Derek growls lowly, his fangs poking out from his lips. I know Derek would never hurt me but he is angry, his wolf won't be very happy either. "You were never there-"

"I didn't know!" he yells.

"I did this alone!"

"Did you?! 'Cause you're acting like there's someone else in picture! Someone you don't want me knowing about" he says.

"What are you talking about? There's noone else! There hasn't been anyone else since I left you!" I yell. "She's been the most important thing in my life since the second I found out I was pregnant you asshole!"

"Are you sure? Are you sure there's noone else that my daughter is calling her Daddy?!" I get so angry from his words that I actually hit him. He recovers right away, werewolf perk. It hurts me to hit him more than it does for him to be hit but I shove that away for now, i'm too angry to feel pain.

"I would never lie to her about that!" I shout.

"So when she asks, what do you tell her? Huh?! What do you say?"

"I _don't_ lie!"

"What do you say-"

"I tell her he's not around! I tell her i'm sorry he's not here-"

"Do not put that on me!" he cuts me off angerily. "If you had told me, I would have made you stay! Remember, you ran away from me!"

"I was scared! I was friggin' terrified! I didn't think what we had was going to get as serious as it did, then I found out I was pregnant and I panicked, okay?! I freaked out! I didn't know what to do!" I yell, tears spilling down my cheeks.

"You should have told me! I could have been there for-for.."

"For what? For the birth? For the 2 years that I raised her by myself?!" I yell angerily. "I may have left Derek but don't act like you came after me! Don't act like you even tried to call and find me!"

"I had no idea! How was I supposed to know you were carrying my child? How was I supposed to know I was a father?! You said nothing! You left me a note and you left! You were just gone! And-and it hurt, okay?! It hurt me! And that's why I didn't come after you, I thought you wanted nothing to do with me anymore!" he admits. I look at him, suprised. "It wasn't just a one night thing, maybe the sex was, but _we_ weren't. You can't tell me those 3 months we spent together meant nothing to you"

"It did mean something to me. It meant alot to me" I admit.

"It meant alot to me too" he says, voice calm again. I wipe my eyes with my sleeve and sigh heavily.

"What do you want from me Derek?" I ask him, letting my own voice become calm again too.

"I want to be a Dad to my daughter" he says.

"Do you?" I ask.

"Yes. And i'll always want to be. Always" he says.

"If we do this, there's no going back"

"I know that" he nods.

"I'm serious Derek. This isn't a walk in the park. It's a commitment, for life. I left because I didn't want to force you into this but you have to know if you do come into this, you can't ever come out of it. You gotta make alot of sacrifices" I say honestly.

"I know all about sacrifice" he says. I nod, thinking about his family.

"You say you want me to let you be her Dad?" I ask.

"Yeah, I do" he nods.

"I can see you want to be, I can. But I don't think you realise what you're asking of us. Yes, she's your daughter so you have a right but she hasn't known a Dad or any male authority figure in her entire life"

"Which is why she needs one" he says. He motions for me to sit again. I sniff back my tears and nod, sitting back down. He pulls a chair up to sit in front of me, looking at me. "I'm here, okay? And i'm ready"

"You're ready?" I ask skeptically. "I actually thought you were gonna pass out when I finally admitted she was your's" I say, chuckling dryly.

"Okay, i'm not ready. But I can be" he says. "I wanna be there for her, and for you. And I don't want you to have to do this alone anymore. Despite what you may think, I did care about you alot. I never stopped caring about you" he says. I can't help the tears that force their way to the front of my eyes and down my cheeks. "What's happening?" Derek asks with a worried frown. "Is this some post baby hormone thing?" he asks. I can tell he's shocked. I'm usually hard, he's only seen me cry once and he hated it. I laugh, actually laugh. He looks at me, confused.

"No Derek, that 'baby' is 2. It's a little late for that" I tell him. "I'm crying because despite what you may think, I still care about you too and I do have feelings and I do sometimes get upset" I say, amused.

"Well don't be upset. Please. You know how much I hate seeing you cry" he says.

"Little late for that too" I say with a hint of a sad smile.

"Have you ever been upset because of me?" he asks.

"Honestly?" I say. "I hated myself after that night we met and..you know. I was pissed at myself, that i'd let myself go so easily"

"Oh. Sorry" Derek says, burrowing his eyebrows.

"No, it's okay" I say, making him look back up at me. "Because the most amazing thing came out of it. Her. She came out of it" I say, tears welling up in my eyes again. "And she's the most important thing in my life so I should thank you. But I should also apologise for running off like I did. A note? Seriously? I couldn't even tell you to your face"

"I can forgive that because I get it" he says. He carefully takes both my hands in his. I look down at them and then back up to him. "You were scared"

"It wasn't just that" I say. He looks at me to go on and I sigh. "I was..I was falling in love with you and I didn't know what to do" I admit in a low whisper. Derek's eyes widen.

"You love me?" he asks me.

"I don't know. I-I think so" I say honestly. "Listen, I don't expect you to say it back. Hell, I don't expect you to even give a crap-"

"Why would you say that?" he asks.

"It's been almost 3 years Derek. What's stopping someone else, someone better, from coming along and picking up the pieces during that time?" I ask him.

"There's noone. There's been noone since you left" he says. He sighs. "I guess a small part of me..okay, a big part, was hoping one day you'd walk back through that door" he admits. "Because I think I was falling in love with you too" he says.

"I'm so sorry" I whisper, trying to hold back more tears.

"Don't apologise. That's not who you are" he says with a small smile. I chuckle. He knows me well. "Just let me be her Dad, okay? Give me a chance"

"Okay" I nod. We both turn towards the sound of soft footsteps.

"Mommy?" Leah asks, rubbing her tired eyes. I get up and go over to her, crotching down in front of her. Damn, we woke her.

"Hey baby, what are you doing up? You should be sleeping" I say softly.

"I heard yellin'. You were mad" she says, sleep laced in her voice.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you" I say.

"Why were you mad Mommy?" she asks. Leah looks past me and sees Derek. "Why is he here?" she asks, looking back at me. "Who is he?"

"Um.." I say. I turn to look at Derek. "Sweetie, I want you to meet somebody, alright? Come here" I say. She gives me her hand and I lead her over to Derek. "This is Derek. He's an old friend of mine" I say. Leah looks at him, still a little shy because of her young age and the current situation.

"Hi Derek" Leah says.

"Hi" Derek says softly. I turn Leah towards me and take a deep breath.

"Lee, remember when I said Daddy wasn't around?" I ask her and she nods. Derek looks at me with wide eyes. "Don't make me regret this Derek" I say.

"I won't, I swear" he says.

"Leah..this is your Daddy" I tell the young girl. The strangest thing happens. Leah looks between us. I swear she's even narrows her eyes like she's studying us.

"This is Daddy?" Leah asks.

"Yeah baby, this is your Daddy" I assure her. Leah looks straight at Derek and the man shifts nervously under her bright green gaze.

"You're my Daddy" Leah says to Derek, like she's handing him that title.

"Yeah, i'm your Daddy" Derek smiles, taking that title right away. He moves to crotch down in front of her. "Listen, i'm sorry I haven't been around, okay? It's been..hard, but i'm here now. I'll always be here" he assures her. I feel tears come over me again. I'm not one to cry but this is my daughter, this is different.

"Okay" Leah smiles, nodding her small black-haired hair. Derek looks up at me and I have to put a hand over my mouth to hold back a sob. Leah turns around and looks at me too.

"Mommy, what's wrong?" she asks. I smile through the tears.

"Nothing" I say, trying to sound reassuring. Leah frowns and walks over to me, hugging my legs. I try so hard not too, but I start crying..again. Derek stands up and comes over to me. His arms come around me and I curl into his chest.

"Hey. I'm here now, okay? Things are gonna be different, I promise" he whispers to me in a comforting tone. I nod and pull back to look at him. I know I probably shouldn't but I do it anyway. I lean in and softly kiss his lips. I quickly hide my face againist his chest again before he can react. I still care about him, alot. And he said it's the same for him. Maybe..maybe while we're doing this, trying to be a family, maybe me and him can go back to how we were. I hope we can. But I won't force him into anything, i'll understand if that's not what he wants. "Ash" Derek says. I look back up at him. I'm plesantly suprised to find his lips moving over mine softly. I smile, kissing him back. "I missed you so much" he says againist my lips before kissing me again.

"Ew!" we break apart, Leah looking grossed out. I chuckle, picking her up and hugging her tightly. Yeah, we're all going to be okay.

..

..

 **Decided to do some family fluff as I don't do enough of it. Should I do a second chapter? Where they tell the family that Derek's the father? Maybe have some Dad/Mom/Daughter moments? Hmm? Favourite, follow and review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Head's up as I wasn't very clear last chapter! This isn't really based in any season. Scott's dating Allison, Melissa knows about werewolves and also knows Derek and Scott are 'friends'. Shout out to Bree x3, Serena Sterling, TheMorbidGal and Tesla424! Sorry it's taken so long for a second part! I did not think it would get the all the positive reviews it got! Thank you all! Bree, I have no clue if i'm going to make this into a story. I'm trying so hard to finish my older fics so I can focus on my new main two but we'll see. I'm really glad you guys liked t, have another chapter!**

 **Ashlee's p.o.v**

I pace around the kitchen, waiting for Mom to get home from work the following morning. Scott's got Leah on his knee, bouncing the giggling girl around. Last night, after Derek had some time to meet his daughter, we talked to Leah. We told her she had to keep it a secret for now. She was confused, naturally, but she said it was our family secret and literally pinky promised she wouldn't tell anyone. It was the most adorable thing ever, seeing her latch her tiny pinky onto Derek's and assure him it was between them. He was reluctant to leave, I know it's mostly his wolf not wanting to leave it's young. He's coming back soon, once Mom's home. I have to tell Scott and Mom. They have to know. Especially if Derek's going to stick around and we're going to be a family like we talked about last night. I sigh, wringing my hands. I'm getting so nervous the longer I wait.

"What's wrong with you?" Scott asks, looking from Leah to me. "You haven't sat down since I got back from Allison's" he says, looking back at Leah and making a face, the girl giggling.

"It's nothing" I brush it off. "I just need to talk to you and Mom, together" I say.

"What about?" Scott asks.

"You'll see" I say.

"Because I love waiting" he says sarcastically but with a soft smile. As if on cue, the very woman walked through the door. She gives me a big smile.

"And look at you" she cooes at Leah, lifting her off Scott's lap and into her arms. "Hey baby girl" Mom smiles at Leah.

"Hi Aunty Melmel" Leah grins. I chuckle at the name.

"Melmel?" Mom asks with a smile. "That's new"

"She's going through another creative burst" I say, looking at my daughter in admiration.

"I remember when you went through your's" Mom says, reminising. "Paper and crayons were constantly everywhere" she chuckles.

"My little rugrat's got a thing for paint" I say.

"Oh god" Mom laughs. I join in, thinking back to all the times i'd have to wash blue paint from her hair or scrub the yellow paint off her white dress. "You said you wanted to talk to us" Mom says, pulling out the dining room seat and sitting down.

"Yeah..I did" I say. "Scott, come up here" I say. The male nods, moving from the stairs to sit at the kitchen table too.

"Ash, what's up?" Mom asks, seeing i'm nervous. I hear Derek knock at the door. Oh god..here we go. I go to the front room and to the door, opening it. He instantly frowns, probably smelling my nervousness and worry.

"Hey, it'll be okay" he assures me.

"I know..I just don't know how they're going to react. Especially Scott" I sigh.

"Come here" Derek says, stepping inside. I move into his embrace. "It's gonna be fine, okay?" I nod. We pull back and he kisses me softly. "All that matters is Leah"

"You're right" I nod. I take a deep breath before walking back into the dining room, Derek in tow.

"Derek? What are you doing here?" Scott asks, looking at the male in confusion. "It's not the best time for a catch-up" Scott says, looking to me for an explaination. Leah perks up, seeing her Dad. She looks at me, holding her finger to her mouth. I smile and nod at her hand gesture for keeping it secret. Leah knows we're going to tell them and she knows I have to be the one to do it, not her. She's a very smart kid and I couldn't possibly be prouder than I already am of her.

"Um..he actually needs to be here" I say nervously.

"Why?" Mom asks, looking confused now too.

"Okay..um..I haven't been completely honest" I say, looking between Mom and Scott. "Do you remember before I moved away to Columbia and I was constantly in and out those months before?" I ask.

"Yeah, we remember" Mom nods. I can't bring myself to tell them Derek and I were actually dating. If I can't do that, how the hell am I going to tell them he's the father of my 2 year daughter? Derek must sense my hesitation because he takes over.

"Ash was with me" Derek says. "Because back then..we were dating. That's how we know each other" he tells them. Scott's eyes widen, Mom looking suprised as well.

"Oh..um..okay" Mom says, struggling to process that.

" _You_ were dating my _sister_?" Scott asks him.

"Yeah" Derek nods. I try to say something to Scott but nothing comes out.

"Okay. So that whole thing yesturday, that was a lie, right?" Scott asks, a little annoyed. I look down at my feet, nodding. "Why lie? Why not just tell me?" Scott asks, voice hinting into a little anger. Derek looks to me and back at Scott, not sure what to say. I take another deep breath.

"Okay" I finally speak up. "The reason I lied was because..because almost 3 years ago, when I moved away, I ran off without telling him where or why" I admit. "He didn't know I was leaving either" Mom and Scott both frown.

"Why wouldn't you tell him?" Mom asks, looking between Derek and I. I clam up again. Derek slips his hand into mine and gives me a small supportive smile. Scott and Mom are both looking between us in something between expectantly and confusion.

"Because..because that's when I fell pregnant with Leah" I say. It literally feels like those words are ringing in the air, and it's deadly quiet as they both realise what that means.

"You.." Scott starts but trails off. "You're Leah's Dad?" Scott asks, looking at Derek.

"Yeah, I am" Derek nods. It falls quiet again after that confirmation. I decide to explain myself.

"I-I kept it a secret from everyone, including him" I tell them nervously. "Derek and Leah only found out yesturday..I wanted to tell the both of you together so.." I say, looking down at my feet.

"Derek, can you take your daughter into the other room? I want to talk to _my_ daughter, alone" Mom says in a serious tone. Derek nods, letting my hand go to take Leah from Mom's outstretched arms. "That means you as well Scott" she says, looking at my brother. Scott nods and gets up.

"Come outside. We need to talk" Scott says as he walks past Derek. I frown, not liking where this is going. When the front door shuts, I feel 3x as nervous as before. Mom stands up, coming to stand in front of me. I can't tell what she's thinking. Her face in blank and it's starting to scare me.

"Baby" she says, frowning sadly. "You carried that around with you all those years?" she asks. I look down as tears fill my eyes and nod. I sob when she brings her hands come to either side of my face, bringing my face up to look at her. "You should have told me" she says softly, teary eyed now too.

"I didn't know how..I didn't know what to do" I say quietly, sniffing back my tears. "I didn't wanna force Derek into it..I didn't wanna dump that on you and Scott"

"Is that why you left?" she asks. I nod. "Baby" she says, pulling me into a hug. I hug her back tightly, starting to cry into her shirt.

"I was so scared Mom..i've never been so scared in my life. I didn't know what I was doing" I admit through my tears. Soon, Mom's letting me go and i'm in someone else's arms. I look up, Derek's holding me tightly, Leah's arms around my neck. Scott and Mom watch from the sidelines.

"See? I told you. It's okay, things will be different now that i'm here" Derek assures me. I nod. My eyes fall to his cheek, 4 long claw marks over it, starting to heal. I look over at Scott. He meets my eyes evenly and I know right then that he was the one to put them there.

"We should uh..should go do that thing you wanted to do" Mom says to Scott.

"What thing?" Scott asks her, confused.

"That thing, _remember_?" she says pointedly. He realises she's trying to give us some space. He nods, giving Derek a look. Derek nods and pulls me a little closer. Scott follows Mom out of the room.

"Did Scott do that to you?" I ask Derek, wiping my eyes and taking Leah into my arms.

"I deserved it" Derek says as a 'yes'. I frown. "No, I didn't know about Leah but I should have looked for you, hell I could have called or tried to reach out. And i'm sorry things have gone this way" he says.

"It's okay, it's my fault too. Can we just not dwell on it?" I ask him. "If you wanna be here for Leah then the air's cleared, honestly, water under the bridge" I say, wiping my eyes again.

"I wanna be here for both of you" he says.

"Even better" I say with a smile. He smiles, hugging us both again.

..

..

 **I know it's not really what you readers had in mind but it just felt right to write it like this. I see Melissa as very understanding and even more so of Ashlee and Derek's situation because she's a mother herself. Scott, obviously, has a few issues with the way things happened but he'll get over it :) I actually have another chapter in mind already! Some family fluff including Scott and Stiles! Yes or no? Favourite, follow and review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Shout out to TheMorbidGal, Serena Sterling, wandadoll, Tesla424 and Bree for reviewing! Okay..you amazing reviewers and readers have twisted my arm! I can see you want it so..i'm going to make this into a short story,** _ **short**_ **. I'll try to update at** _ **least**_ **once a week. I have no clue how long this will go for but right now i'm looking at a rough number of about 8 chapters in total but we will see! It's not going to have much of a plot/storyline like my other fics. It's more family life for the pack and how they'll respond to having a toddler around. I kind of want to do a chapter where Derek shifts in front of Leah and she meets Derek's betas and all that but I don't know, what do you think?**

 **Scott's p.o.v**

 _Three weeks later_

Stiles and I sit in the sand, leaning againist the cooler with beers and water in it. Ash dragged us out of the house for a family outing. That included Leah, of course, and that also included the 'hanging around more than ever' Derek Hale. If i'm being honest, I like that he's around more. In the few weeks that have flown by, he's been a good father to his newfound daughter and very supportive of Ash too. Those two are slowly rekindling their old flame, deciding to be a family again, a _proper_ family. Mom, Dad, daughter, the works. And i'm okay with that.

"Who would have thought, right?" Stiles says, eyes where mine are looking too. I smile, watching the three together. Ash, sporting a blue fringe bikini after spending the last 2 years getting her 'pre-baby bod' back as she called it. Derek, shirtless, of course, and wearing red board shorts. And then there's Leah. She's in this cute little purple one-piece togs, her hair tied up in twin plaits. Leah walks between her two parents, holding one of their hands each. They lift her over the waves, the girl kicking her legs out and laughing. She drops down into the water and splashes around in the swallow water. I've never seen Ash so content before as she watches her daughter with a smile on her face. Derek wraps his arms around Ash and spins her around. What a friggin' swoon. Allison's made me watch a few cheesy romance movies with her and that move should be in there. Let me guess? They're going to kiss? Ash drapes her arms over his shoulders before the two kiss. Argh. I spoke too soon. They both pull back, smiling widely before hugging. Leah makes it all better though with her next move. Stiles and I both laugh when the girl picks up a handful of sand and throws it at Derek's back. Derek grins, putting Ash down. He chases after the small girl. She giggles loudly when Derek scoops her up and snorts againist her neck playfully.

"Daddy! Stop!" Leah smiles. Derek pulls back and smiles widely at her happy face. That smiles he's currently wearing, the one he has when he's with them..i've never seen that smile before. I've never seen Derek like this before. Derek leans in and whispers something in Leah's ear before placing the toddler back on her feet. She runs over to Ash and splashes her. Sneaky Derek. Ash pouts and splashes her back. I chuckle, sometimes my sister forgets her daughter's 2, not 12. But then Ash takes Leah's hands and sits in the water, guiding the girl out and helping her to swim, making sure she's completely safe at all times. Derek watches for a few seconds before walking over to us.

"Here you go not-so-Sourwolf" Stiles teases, tossing him a beer from the cooler.

"Thanks" Derek chuckles, opening the can and sitting down in the sand with us. His eyes settle on his daughter and the mother of his baby girl.

"How are things with you two going anyway?" I ask Derek. "I know i've been in and out of home alot so I haven't exactly been around but I still care"

"No, we know" Derek says. "Things are good. They're alot better than they were in the beginning" he tells me.

"That's good to hear" I nod. "And uh..listen, about all that stuff I said and what I did.." I say awkwardly.

"You mean when you clawed me across the face and promised to cut my balls off?" Derek asks, amused. Stiles snorts, spitting up his beer as he unsuccessfully tries to hold in his laughter.

"Yeah" I say sheepishly. "Well..I take it all back. You've been really good and proved yourself. So you can keep them" I say with a smile. Derek gives me a loopsided grin and a thankful nod.

"Thanks"

"Well, unless you're thinking about trying to get her pregnant again that is" I say, narrowing my eyes.

"No, Leah's enough" he assures me. "And if she's anything like her mother, she's gonna be a handful" Derek says.

"That's for damn sure" Stiles and I say at the same time. All 3 of us looks at each other before chuckling. Leah will definitely be like Ash, she already sort of is.

"Good luck man. You're gonna need it" Stiles grins, clapping the older wolf over the shoulder. Weither the two are a handful or not, I don't think he cares. He's got his girl back and he's got his daughter. The man couldn't be more grateful. "Erica's been bugging me to convince you to bring them around to meet the pack" Stiles tells Derek. Isaac's asked me about them too. I think they're shocked that Derek actually has feelings, and a sort of girlfriend and a daughter. An actual living, breathing _human_ that he would protect at all costs.

"I know i'll have to eventually..but not yet. When things have settled and me and Ash have talked about it, I will" he tells us. I nod, agreeing. Ash and Leah come walking over, both soaking wet. I put my beer down as Leah leaps into my lap, wetting me too but I don't mind.

"Scotty, are you gonna come swimming?" Leah asks, looking up at me with those dazzling green eyes.

"Yeah, come on" I say, getting up and holding her in my arms.

"I wanna race you" she says. I nod, putting her on her feet. "Go!" she says. I let the girl run ahead of me to the water. I dive under the waves, the water cold but refreshing. I go on my hands and knees, helping Leah onto my back. She holds onto my shoulders as I swim out a little deeper, keeping her up on my back.

"We're going under Leah, hold on tight and hold your breath" I say. She nods and takes a deep breath, holding her nose with one hand and holding my neck with the other. I dive under, coming back up quickly. The girl giggles, shaking her wet hair. I chuckle, my wolf loving the sound of her laughter and seeing how happy she is.

..

..

 **Some Scott/Leah bonding in there too! I like doing Scott's p.o.v and writing his thoughts :) Hope you enjoyed! Favourite, follow and review!**


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